Liner support useable with oven enclosures or the like



Nov. 12, 1968 c. MORGAN Filed Oct. 31, 1966 LINER SUPPORT USEABLE WITH OVEN ENCLOSURES OR THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR CURTIS L. MORGAN ATTY.

Nov. 12, 1968 c. 1.. MORGAN 60 LINER SUPPORT USEABLE WITH OVEN ENCLOSURES OR THE LIKE Filed Oct. 31, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR CURTIS L. MORGAN ATT).

United States Patent 3,410,260 LINER SUPPORT USEABLE WITH OVEN ENCLOSURES OR THE LIKE Curtis L. Morgan, Sigel, Ill., assignor to Borg-Warner Corporation, a corporation of Illinois Filed Oct. 31, 1966, Ser. No. 590,771 6 Claims. (Cl. 12619) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A support structure having readily removable and cleanable panels of a cooking range, the support structure being removably mounted on the side walls of the oven liner and including a cage having a pair of panel-engaging assemblies held in spaced apart relationship by a longitudinal member with each assembly including a panel holding carriage having inside and outside vertical members positioning the panel therebetween and being connccted at their upper and lower ends to provide aligned elongated apertures in the carriages through which the panel is insertable and horizontally movable for support of the panel by the carriages.

The present invention relates to enclosures using removable panels and more particularly to a novel structure for supporting such panels.

One use of removable panels is in ovens, to facilitate cleaning of the oven. It is well known to provide panels which are positioned to overlie the permanent oven walls, these panels being removable for easy cleaning. However, while removable, it is desirable to have these panels firmly supported in selected positions when installed, and also easy to handle during the installation and removal.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved panel carrying means permitting easy installation and removal of panels, yet assuring firm support thereof in a selected position overlying a wall or the like.

It is a more detailed object along the lines of the above, to provide an impoved panel carrying means adapted for use in an oven or the like which permits easy handling of the panel, either during installation of the panel in an enclosure such as an oven or the like or removal from such an enclosure.

It is an overall object of the present invention to provide an improved panel support structure or cage which is economical to manufacture and easy to maintain and is adaptable for use in standard compartments, for example, of the type found in ovens.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following descriptions and upon reference to the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of an oven assembly embodying the teachings of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective of the oven assembly of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective of a side, a rear and a bottom panel respectively adapted for use in the oven compartment shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged end View, partially in section, of a panel support structure shown in the oven assembly of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged exploded perspective, partially in section, showing details of the oven panel support structure of FIGURE 4.

Turning to the drawings and FIGURE 1, generally shown is an oven assembly including an oven compartment 11 having opposite side walls 12, 14, a top wall 15, a bottom wall 16 and a rear wall 18. The even compartment includes an electrical element 19 for heating the "Ice compartment. As exemplarily shown, the side Walls 12, 14 are vertically disposed. For protecting the side, bottom and rear walls from soil produced, for example, during cooking or baking in the enclosure 11, the exemplary embodiment is provided with respective side panels 20, 21, a bottom panel 22 and a rear panel 24. In one practical instance, the side panels are covered with Teflon, a polytetrafluoride product manufactured by Du- Pont, to prevent sticking of soil product to the panel surface. In the same instance, the bottom panel 22 was chrome plated for improved appearance and also easy cleaning. It, of course, is not necessary in the practice of the present invention that the panels be coated with a particular material.

In accordance with the present invention, an improved panel carrying means is provided for carrying the side panels 20, 21 to permit easy installation of the panels in, and removal of the panels from, the oven compartment 11 while supporting the panels firmly when the latter are positioned to overlie and protect side walls 12, 14, respectively. As herein illustrated, a pair of panel carrying means or cages 25, 26, respectively, are provided one for panel and the other for panel 21. Describing cage 25 which is the same as cage 26, there are provided at opposite ends of the cage 25 respective vertical panel engaging assemblies 28, 29, held in spaced apart relationship by a plurality of longitudinal members a-30e. Each of the panel engaging assemblies include an inside member or strut, identified by reference character 31 in assembly 28, and identified by reference character 32 in assembly 29; and an outside member or strut, identified by reference character 34 in assembly 28, and identified by reference character 35 in assembly 29. As herein illustrated, the respective strut members 31, 34 and 32, 35 are joined at their respective lower and upper ends to form an enclosure. The space between the respective vertical struts defines a carriage for receiving a panel, one end of panel 20 resting on panel engaging assembly 28 and an opposite end of the same panel resting on panel engaging assembly 29.

For mounting the cage or panel carrying means on the oven wall, as herein illustrated there are provided a plurality of openings in the Wall, 36, 38, 39, Selectively positioned on the inside vertical strut members 31, 32, and complementarily shaped, are a series of projections 36a, 38a, 39a, 40a. The latter engage the aforementioned Wall openings. As herein illustrated, these projections 36a,

. 38a, 39a, 40a, have depending end portions so that once the projections are fitted into the openings or slots, a cantilever hooking action maintains the cage firmly affixed to the wall 14. This is shown in detail in FIGURES 4 and 5.

It is within the teachingsof the present invention to provide a carriage for carrying the panel on the cage 25 which does not form a complete enclosure as do the respective inside and outside strut members in the exemplary embodiment. It is necessary to provide a structure on which the panels can rest for easy transport of the cage and panel and in which the lateral movement is limited so that the panel is maintained in position to protect the particular wall of the enclosure from spatter, soil and the like.

The rear panel 24 is carried by the oven compartment rear wall 18 by providing a pair of rearwardly projecting hooks 41, 42, adjacent the upper end of the rear panel 24 and adapted to fit into complementary slots 44, 45, provided in the rear wall 18 for that purpose. The rear panel 24, in the illustrative embodiment, hangs on the rear wall 18.

It is an ancillary feature of the present invention that the panel can be easily fitted into the carrying cage and automatic stop means are provided to prevent sliding of the panel beyond a position wherein the panel properly overlies the wall on which it is mounted. As best shown in FIGURES 4 and 5 depicting the exemplary embodiment, for limiting the relative slidable movement between the panel and the cage, the panel 20 is provided with a flange 45 along front edge Ztia of panel 20 engageable with the vertical strut 31. Thus, the panel 20 is slid into the carriage defined by the cage end assemblies 28, 29, until the flange 46 engages the strut 31, whereupon the cage and panel can be installed in the oven and proper protection of the oven wall against soiling is assured.

It is also a feature of the present invention that a set of the panel carrying means or cages can be positioned on opposite walls of an oven, whereupon the longitudinal spacing members 30a-3Ge can be utilized to hold a set of shelves 48, 49. Thus the same structure that permits easy gripping of the cages, i.e. the longitudinal spacer members, also provide a platform for carrying shelving Within the oven compartment.

It is clear from the foregoing that the present invention provides a support structure for receiving a panel and permits installation and removal of the panel as a unit yet is easily assembled for cleaning the panel and removing soil that may have collected thereon. The housewife may simply grip the cage and bring the unit in proximity with the oven wall and the mounting means are easily engaged whereupon a firm support is provided for the panel in position adjacent the compartment wall. The panel is maintained in proximity to the oven wall, however, the inside vertical member, i.e. members 31, 32, assures that there is space between the panel and oven walls so that if it is desired to prevent heat conduction to the panel, that end can be accomplished.

It is an additional feature of the present invention to provide the bottom panel with upwardly turning side portions and a pair of outwardly turned flanges 22a, 22b, to fit against the respective sidewalls 12, 14. The structure assures that the corners where the sidewalls 12, 14, meet the bottom wall 16 are protected against soiling, yet providing for spacing of the bottom liner 22 so that it may be removed easily. It is of course, understood that the present inventive panel support structure is useable with different enclosures including ovens which do not have a bottom panel, for example, gas ovens.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, a preferred embodiment is diagrammatically shown in the drawings and is herein described in detail. It is to be understood, however, that it is not thereby intended to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed. On the contrary it is intended to cover all modifications and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a compartment such as an oven or the like having a plurality of generally vertically disposed walls the combination comprising at least one rigid self-supporting panel adapted to overlie one of the walls, a carriage for supporting said panel and including spaced vertically-extending struts connected'at their upper and lower ends and providing an elongate aperture through which said panel is insertable and horizontally movable into said carriage, and interfitting slot and projecting means, respectively, one provided on the wall and the other complementarily provided on said carriage, engageable to hang said carriage on said wall 2. In a compartment such as an oven or the like having a plurality of walls including generally vertically disposed walls the combination comprising at least one rigid panel adapted to overlie one of the walls, panelcarrying means having a pair of panel-engaging assemblies held in spaced apart relationship by at least one longitudinal member, each of said assemblies defining a carriage for receiving and holding said panel and including spaced vertically-extending members connected at their upper and lower ends to define an elongate aperture for insertion and horizontal movement of said panel into said carriage for supporting said panel by said carriage, interfitting slot and projecting means, respectively, complementarily formed on the wall and on the panel-engaging assemblies, said interfitting means engageable to firmly hold said panel carrying means adjacent the wall and easily disengageable to permit removal of said panel and associated carrying means from the compartment.

3. In a compartment such as an oven or the like having a plurality of walls including generally vertically disposed walls the combination comprising at least one rigid panel adapted to overlie one of the walls, a cage having a pair of panel-engaging assemblies held in spaced apart relationship by a longitudinal member, said assemblies each including a carriage for holding said panel, said carriage having respective inside and outside vertical members positioning said panel therebetween and being connected at their upper and lower ends to provide elongate apertures through which said panel is insertable and horizontally movable into said carriage for support of said panel by said carriage, said longitudinal member connecting said outside members, and interfitting means engageable to permit easy installation and removal of said cage, and therewith said panel, said inside vertical members adapted to maintain said panel in spaced apart relationship with respect to the adjacent oven wall.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said cage for carrying said panel is provided with a plurality of long-itudinal members, a pair of said cages being installable on opposed oven walls with said longitudinal members aligned horizontally to carry shelving and the like.

5. The combination of claim 3 including means on said panel engageable with one of said carriage vertical members to limit slidable movement of said panel with respect to said carriage.

6. The combination of claim 3 wherein one of the plurality of walls is a bottom wall and the combination includes a bottom panel, overlying the bottom wall, said bottom panel having outwardly projecting flange portions for engaging the respective opposite side walls.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,841,132 7/1958 Philipp. 3,145,289 8/ 1964 SWetlitz. 3,151,608 10/ 1964 Hurko.

FREDERICK L. MATTESON, 1a., Primary Examiner.

E. G. EAVORS, Assistant Examiner. 

